Bethesda news, restaurants, nightlife, events and openings, real estate, crime reports and more - the way only a lifelong Bethesda resident like Robert Dyer can bring it to you. Everything you want and need to know about Bethesda, plus special investigative reports you won't find anywhere else. The must-read blog for breaking Bethesda news, when you want to be the first to know.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

DEMOCRATS CUT STATE POLICE

CRUISER BUDGET BY OVER

$800,000

"Believe It... or Not!"

Soft-on-Crime Agenda Continues While

Bronrott, Frick, Lee, and O'Malley Approve

$1 Million State IT Department and Pay

Prisoners to Earn Diplomas With Your Tax Dollars

The outrages continue in Annapolis as our far-left Governor, Martin O'Malley, and Democrat allies, Bill Bronrott, Bill Frick, and Susan Lee further dismantle the Maryland State Police Budget. Their latest scheme was to slash the force's budget for new police cruisers by over $800,000!

At a time when we are experiencing a violent crime wave that the above-mentioned Democrats have completely ignored, facing potential terrorist attacks in the state of Maryland, and when interstate transportation of illegal narcotics is at a new high along I-95, the last thing an intelligent elected official would do is slash the State Police budget, right? That would be beyond belief, wouldn't it?

Well, don't be surprised to encounter the ghostly spectre of our old friend, Jack Palance, wandering the halls of the State House. When it comes to the dangerous, reckless, and unapologetic pro-criminal agenda of O'Malley & Co., one just has to examine the facts and

"Believe It... or Not!"

Alas, the outrages are true. Not only are state troopers not receiving the latest equipment, but now they cannot even maintain current levels as old cruisers cannot be replaced under the new O'Malley-Bronrott-Frick-Lee plan.

It's outrageous.

The same day, after putting Maryland's Finest in danger by slashing their infrastructure, command structure, and equipment funding, our soft-on-crime Democrats approved the new poster child of government waste in Annapolis, the new state IT Department. This costs over $1 million dollars - $200,000 more than what was just cut out of the police cruiser budget! It's outrageous.

We can only pray that our Democrats' dangerous public safety cuts do not result in harm to the citizens or the law enforcement personnel who risk their lives each day and night to protect them.

And then we can get ready to vote in 2010, and replace our dangerous Democrats with new leadership that recognizes that funding and supporting law enforcement and public safety is the highest priority of any elected official. Our current lawmakers and governor should be ashamed.

BLATANT PRO-DEVELOPER

VOTE ON ROOFTOP GREEN SPACE

AFFIRMS AGAIN THAT HANSON &

PLANNING BOARD SERVE AT THE

PLEASURE OF DEVELOPERS

Royce Hanson and the Montgomery County Planning Board are as unapologetic about their love for developers as our elected officials are about their pro-crime agenda.

Unbelievably, and blatantly, Hanson & Co. voted down an amendment introduced by County Councilmember Marc Elrich that would have ended the developers' outrageous practice of counting rooftops as "green space." In some cases, the roof was the only green space on the lot!

It's outrageous.

Thanks to our Planning Board, and with a rubber stamp from our County Council, developers will continue to exploit this loophole and damage our environment with the full approval of these Democratic elected officials.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Just weeks after holding Attorney General Doug Gansler accountable for his lack of action against polluters in Maryland, which resulted in a prominent Washington Post article on that topic, I've apparently done it again.

You may remember a posting on this blog entitled, "County Cable O'Malley?" not long ago. It was the first and only public questioning of the almost 24 hour free political ads Gov. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown were able to run on Montgomery County's "County Cable Montgomery," at taxpayer expense.

That's right. Your county tax dollars were providing round-the-clock propaganda ads for state-level Democratic officials. This had gone on for months. There was virtually no time of the day that one could tune into Channel 6 and not find puff-pieces entirely about O'Malley or Brown in place of regular programming.

I also pointed out that Gov. Bob Ehrlich and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele were never featured on Channel 6 when they were in office. This is a county channel, funded by you the taxpayer, and it has always been an information source about county programs, parks and recreation, senior citizen issues, County Council hearings and coverage, and news such as our favorite Doug Duncan ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Days after my report was posted, the O'Malley-Brown ads have all but vanished on Channel 6. After tuning in at various times of the day, and asking others to do so, I can report that we have now returned to regularly-scheduled programming on County Cable Montgomery. They even had a County Council meeting on! It's been awhile.

Apparently, the free ads for the state Democratic Party would have continued as long as "no one noticed." Well, Robert Dyer noticed, and now we have once again witnessed a very rare thing in Montgomery County and the state of Maryland: Democrats being held accountable to the public for their actions.

O'MALLEY, BRONROTT, LEE, &

FRICK TO CLOSE ANNAPOLIS

STATE POLICE BARRACK

Soft-on-Crime Democrats Continue to

Dangerously Undermine Public Safety

Even as questions remain regarding Bill Frick's qualifications to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, he and his fellow Democrats are poised to close the Annapolis State Police Barrack. The savings grand total for this catastrophic blow to public safety? A whopping $327,000. You mean these "leaders" can't come up with $327,000 for our state troopers while their budget and government are filled with waste?

O'Malley, Bronrott, Frick, and Lee have a new idea for a state IT department. Cost? Over a million dollars. Hmm... A new department that is not needed for $1,000,000? Or a state police barrack in the state capital?

Which one would you choose? To me, it's obvious: the barrack as a victory for public safety, and giving the appropriate respect and support for Maryland's Finest in these dangerous times - and at only 1/3 the cost of the IT department.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

KUMAR BARVE:

DEMOCRAT DRUNK

DRIVER OF THE WEEK

Barve Featured On DLC Website

No Mention of House Majority Leader's

2007 DUI Arrest

The Democratic Leadership Council, a Clinton-affiliated Democratic think-tank, has named Democratic Maryland House Majority Leader Kumar Barve its "New Dem of the Week." You know, as opposed to an "Old Dem of the Week." Right?

The DLC website touts Barve's "bold" pseudo-scientific, regressive-taxation environmental legislation, which he introduced this year. It says Barve will try to find the cheapest way to make Maryland less competitive, and to put Maryland companies and employers out of business. Of course, it doesn't put it in those factual terms. Rather, it gives the usual hogwash about developing new technologies, working with the business community, etc., etc.

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Quick, hand your wallet over to Big Government and "green" megacorporations, so we can forestall the inevitable End of The World!!

Notably missing is another of Barve's "bold" moves, this one in 2007: Barve's arrest for DUI in Gaithersburg. Now that was a bold move. Going the wrong way out of a parking lot. Crossing over the center line in his vehicle. Putting his own constituents, women and children, in mortal danger by operating his vehicle while intoxicated. Then using a Gaithersburg police cruiser as his personal limo.

Bold, yes. Legal? No.

Also missing, yet again, is a condemnation of Barve's drunk driving escapades by District 16 delegate William A. Bronrott, Chairman of the Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Mr. Bronrott has claimed time and time again that drunk driving is an important issue. So why is he silent on the Barve DUI arrest?

The message from Democrats in Annapolis continues to be that they are above the law. It applies to you. It just doesn't apply to them. Perhaps that is part of what being a "New Dem" is all about?